Package



Sept. 5, 1944. D. J. MATHIEU PACKAGE Filed March 21, 1941 INVENTOR. 50/24 JWQZ/u BY Patented Sept.- 5, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGE Donby J. Mathieu, 011mm,, n1., assignor to Shellmar Products Company, Mount Vernon, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application March 21, 1941, Serial No. 384,502

3 Claims. (01. 206-46) The present invention relates to an improvement in a package and a method of forming the same, and more particularly to a double package made from transparent sheeting or the like for packing articles of food therein to keep them fresh and unsoiled.

In the present marketing of foodstufls packaging material of transparent sheeting such as heat sealing Cellophane or rubber-like'material such as Pliofilm have had extensive use to maintain the freshness of the articles while in the stores, to prevent handling and to increase sales appeal. Articles thus packaged are readily inspected as to quality without becoming damaged by the public and do not become stale nor dried out as rapidly as when otherwisedisplayed.

When a purchase is made of a dozen do-ughnuts, for example, or a pound of marshmallows, some of them may become stale through frequent opening of the package before completely used by the consumer. Where the storekeeper breaks open such a package to supply a customer with a portion, he may be left with the remainder to become stale before they are sold and the sales appeal of the fresh package has been lost. Articles of this kind are often wrapped in a single bag together with a centrally disposed divider strip separating the articles on either side of the bag to hold them in place. When some of the articles are removed the others are loosened and may become disarranged.

One'object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealed package that may be easily and cheaply manufactured.

A further object is to provide a package that will maintain a portion of the contents in fresh unsoiled condition while another portion of the contents is being used or sold.

Another object is to provide a sealed package that may be broken into separate smaller sealed packages without unsealing the contents.

Still another object is to provide an improved method of packaging articles to retain their freshness longer and of forming a package for such articles.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from an understanding of the description and drawing of the embodiment of the invention as set forth herein for purposes of exemplification.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of packages being formed;

Fig. 2 is a view on line I -2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective oi. a package filled and ready for final sealing; and

" Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a final package sealed and ready for sale or display.

' In accordance with the invention a web of transparent sheet material may be formed into a tube with the sides of the web folded into overlapped, sealed relation. A blank is struck from the tube, as exemplified in the present embodiment, of a length suitable for a plurality of bags or compartments instead of a single bag length as heretofore done. Intermediateof the length of the blank thus formed, the blank'is sealed together but left open on its ends and the sealed portion is perforated or scored centrally so that the blank may be readily severed at this point.

Both halves of the blank are now filled from their open ends with articles to be packaged therein, the halves folded together about the periorate portion with the'bag seam on the inside, and the open ends of the bags sealed together and to each other. The sealed package thus formed includes two sealed compartments readily separated into two sealed separate packages or bags. During the formation of the tube or prior thereto, spaced designs and advertising indicia may be printed thereon so that when the package is finally formed, the outer sides of the two folded halves will bear this printing. The package thus formed is neat and compact. The customary cardboard liner is omitted and the package has the appearance of a single seamless bag with two compartments removably sealed to each other at their mouth and bottom portions.

With reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing, a web of cellulose sheeting or like material is formed-into a tube III in a well known manner and adhesively secured in this position along a longitudinal seam line l2 where the edges overlap. During this operation a bellows fold or gusset I may be inserted along the lateral edges of the tube In. Blanks l6 are then cut from the tube of a. length sufllcient to form a plurality of compartments or bags l8.

Intermediate its ends the blank thus severed is sealed at 20, as by a crimp seal applied through heat and pressure, and a tear line or series of perforations 22 are formed transversely of the blank through this intermediately sealed portion. The package thus far formed includes the two bag portions l8 sealed at their bottoms and removably joined together at that point with open ends or mouth portions 24. In this condition the compartments may be folded together along the tear' line 22 and shipped to a packer for unfolding, filling and further sealing.

Where the packer makes these bags. the blank is unfolded as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and each compartment I8 is then filled through the mouth portions 24 with articles to be packaged therein, as indicated at 28, leaving a sumcient bag length for a further compartment sealing operation. The filled compartments is are then folded together along the sealed portion with the seam line I! preferably on the interior and with the mouth portions of th compartments in an adjacent abutting relation. The mouth portions of each compartment are then sealed together and the mouth portion of one compartment sealed to the adjacent mouth portion of the other compartment. This may be done by a crimp seal as indicated at 28, Fig. 5, through heat and pressure or other well known sealing means. One advantage of the heat seal is that the seal between adjacent compartments may be readily broken or opened when it is desired to remove one bag l8 from the other.

In forming the sealed portion 20, it may be suiilciencly wide to permit the compartments I 8 to be folded together, or at least a space should be left at this point for this purpose. Prior to forming the tube ill, the web may be printed along the face portion opposite the face that will have the seam line l2, with properly spaced and aligned indicia as indicated at 32 (Fig. 1), so that in folding the compartments l8 together the indicia will be on the outside of the package and right side up as the package rests on the sealed portion 20.

Various modifications in shapes and sizes of packages and steps in the method of making the same and of packaging will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1.. A container of the type described, which comprises in combination a bottom portion consisting of a double layer of a transparent heat sealable material sealed together through an intermediate area of said bottom portion, said double layer being separated on either side adjacent the sealed portion, the outer 01' said layers completing part of the bottom of the container and extending upwardly to form walls, top and mouth portions with the irmer of said layers completing the remaining portions of said container and dividing the container into a unit 01 two adiacently secured hermetically sealed compartments, said compartments when filled being sealed across their mouth portions and to each other, the sealed portion through the intermediate area of the bottom portion and the seal across the mouth portion being separable, and when separated providing two individual hermetically sealed containers from said unit of hermetically sealed compartments.

2. A' container of the type described, which comprises in combination a bottom portion consisting of a double layer of a transparent heat sealable material sealed together through an intermediate area of said bottom portion, said bottom portion having a tear line, said double layer being separated on either side adjacent the sealed'portion, the outer 01' said layers completing part of the bottom of the container and extending upwardly to form walls, top and bottom portions with the inner 01 said layers completing the remaining portions of said container and dividing the container into adiacently secured compartments, said compartments when filled being sealed across their mouth portions and to each other and opposite said first named seal, said compartment seals and said first named seal being separable, and upon each of said seals being separated, adapted to produce individual hermetically sealed containers.

3. An article or the type described, which comprises in combination a tube of transparent heat sealable material having a perforated seal intermediate its ends and transverse of its longitudinal axis forming two compartments of equal area with openings for filling the same, said compartments being held in i'ace-to-face contact at one end by said seal and by a combined seal across the openings 01' said compartments, each 0! said seals being individually separable, and when separated providing two individual hermetically sealed containers.

DONBY J. MA'I'HIEU. 

